Principal's Nest
August 1-5, 2022
WEEK
Vision
To inspire all scholars to become inquisitive thinkers, who confidently and respectfully embrace the global challenges of the future.
Mission
Jose H. Damian Elementary will nurture our scholars so that they are healthy, feel safe, are engaged, feel supported, and are challenged through culturally responsive teaching and learning.
The past two weeks have been fast and furious, full of learning, and reconnecting. I am appreciative of the way you have been receptive to the new year and what it will look like. Please know that every decision and adjustment has been made with faculty, staff, and students in mind. I am always welcome to your ideas and input, and so is the leadership team.
The goal this year is to be intentional and creating those heart prints on each other and our students so that we can ALL grow. As educators, we should never stop learning, and learning from each other is the best kind of lesson. I truly and wholeheartedly consider each of you a family and I am here to serve you. As I have said before, my door is always open (figuratively and literally), unless I'm in a meeting, in which case I will get back to you.
The new systems, such as the 90 minute PLC and two intervention blocks, have been created so that we can be INTENTIONAL (there's that word again) about our planning and really take a look at our data so our students grow every step of the way during the 2022-2023 school year. It will take ALL HANDS ON DECK to get our students to where they need to be to be ready for the next grade level and beyond.
I ask for your cooperation and patience as we try our schedules, especially the PLC schedule. Just to clarify, we will not have a different schedule every week, except for Tuesdays. I suggest you put the schedule on your wall somewhere so the students also become familiar with the rotation.
A quick note about social media: Please help me showcase the wonderful things happening at JDE. I have seen amazing activities and innovative work in your classrooms. Why not tell the world??? I ask that you tweet, facebook, and dojo at least 2 classroom activities per month. If you will post student faces, please make sure they have a photo release and that parent is aware. Please remember to tag Jose H. Damian Elementary on Twitter and Facebook so that we can all see the posts and we can share, share, share! I appreciate your support and collaboration with this. The hashtags we will use this year include: #Firebirds #OurFirebirdsDeserveIt #EducatingWithHeart #WithHeart #Heartprints.
I have created a PhotoCircle Account for JDE so that you can dump your photos of classroom activities and activities around the school in there. Ms. Vazquez has graciously accepted to take on our yearbook so this will help her as she makes photo selections too. Please join with the QR code below.
Let's have a productive year, FIREBIRD FAMILY!!! No one is more ready than we are!!!!!
Photo Circle JDE Account
FIRST DAY PROCEDURES
MORNING DUTY ASSIGNMENTS
Coach Coronado - By the Coach's office (library roundabout)
Coach Olivas - 2nd and 3rd Grade Hallway
Ms. Aramburu - 200 hallway
Ms. Fernandez - Kinder Foyer
Ms. Plaza - Drop off zones
Ms. Davila - Start at drop off & help walk kids that were dropped off and don't know where to go
Ms. Anchieta - Drop off zones
Ms. Harrison - Front foyer
Dr. Kerney - First Grade Hallway between 1st grade classrooms and library
Mr. Almeida - 4th and 5th grade hallway
Ms. Ramey - around the library
Ms. Magdalena Rodriguez - Front doors
Dr. Lee - floater where needed, Start at drop off and help walk kids that were dropped off and don't know where to go
It's all hands on deck, TEAM!!! #FirebirdStrong #FirebirdsDeserveIt #WeCanDoThis
JDE Welcomes...
- Ms. Lennox, PreKinder Aide in Ms. Zamarripa's classroom
- Ms. Graham, Music Teacher
- Ms. Urquidi, 4th Grade Monolingual Teacher
- Ms. Beatriz Montes, SPED Aide in Ms. De Luna-Ochoa's class
- Ms. Fierro has accepted the position of Science Lab Aide
And of course Ms. Plaza, our new Assistant Principal and Ms. Davila, our new Instructional Coach.
Welcome to the JDE Family and to your new position!
"YOU'RE ON FIRE" AWARD!!!
Please nominate the first person to receive the award and place their name in the nomination container in the front office. We will draw from there and will notify the person. Let's make it fun! If you are awarded the trophy for the week, as you give it to someone else the following week, take a picture or video of you handing over the trophy and tell us why so that we can showcase the team member.
Celebrating and recognizing each other is part of leaving #HEARTPRINTS.
BIRTHDAYS!
Please help me celebrate...
July
AnaElisa Lee, July 4
Rodolfo Gonzalez, July 8
Irma Andujo, July 10
April Matoi, July 20
Chelsea Anchieta, July 25
Alma Fraire, July 26
Jessica Hernandez, July 31
August
Sonia Romo, Aug. 3
Anilu Luna, Aug. 9
Beatriz Montes, Aug. 10
Gisela Gracia-Frias, Aug. 11
Martha Barraza, Aug. 18
Myla Dayrit, Aug. 19
Priscilla Loya, Aug. 20
*If you have a birthday coming up in May or June and it was not listed, please let me know so I can add it.
Important Reminders...
We will continue with the same procedures as last year. Please be sure to clock in and out every day at your specified start and stop time. If you are an hourly employee, please refrain from accumulating unauthorized compensatory time. You MUST request permission from administration to do so first.
- PLEASE REMEMBER to swipe in when you come in the building and out when you leave. It is important that you complete this process to avoid having to do corrections to your time and discrepancies in your pay.
- Teacher duty times are 7:30-3:30.
- After school tutoring is 3:30-4:30.
- If you are tutoring. Please clock out at 3:30 and back in with the different function code.
- Faculty meetings and committee meetings are after school. Please make arrangements to attend.
- If you will be absent, please let Administration and Mary Garcia know as soon as you know you will be absent.
- If you require a substitute, please request one as soon as you know you will be absent to increase the likelihood of someone picking up the assignment.
- Emergency hours are for emergencies only. A previously scheduled doctor's appointment is not an emergency. Please request a sub as soon as you schedule a doctor's appointment.
- If you are providing HB4545 hours, please log in the times in a timely fashion so we can determine which students are almost done with their hours.
PLC Tuesday
Week A
Remember that for PLC, you must bring the high leverage low TEKS for your grade level. Be prepared to model a strategy for your colleagues so that we can implement in other classrooms and put it in our lesson plans. EVERYONE must participate and BE PREPARED!
Obviously, this week we will plan for Unit 1 in all subjects. Since we are following the YAG, these will differ at some point. I will add these here just so we're on the same page.
Grade Level Meeting Rooms
PLC Room: 4th, 3rd, PK, 1st
Instructional Coach's Office: 5th, 2nd, Kinder
Facilitators:
PK - Plaza
K - Davila
1st - Plaza
2nd - Davila, Plaza
3rd - Lee
4th - Plaza
5th - Davila, Lee
Committees
T-TESS
August 2022 Calendar
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xKwv0h3VU22U9I89FKxK2mRhkyYbyOo0ZMeLGIvzk3k/edit?usp=sharing
August 1-21 - Set up and practice rituals and routines. Practice with your students. These skills need explicit instruction.
August 2 - PLC Plan Week 2 (WEEK A)
August 3 - PD Wednesday @ 3:30 in the Cafeteria
Walk with the principal/Coffee with the principal
August 4 - PBIS Rotations
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aku6ykB0K3rhS_bTd69UdmUzZOETAT1BR3OaR-_oBnY/edit?usp=sharing
August 9 - PLC Plan Week 3 (WEEK B)
August 10 - Attendance Committee
August 12 - Data Dialogue during Prep (Bring Current Student Assessment data)
Discipline Plan Due to Ms. Plaza
Deadline to sign up for a committee
August 16 - PLC Plan Week 4 (WEEK C)
August 17 - PBIS/Discipline/SEL Committee Meeting
August 18 - Guided Reading Training K-2 AM, 3-5 PM
At-Risk teachers off campus
August 19 - Movie Night PK-2
Emergency Sub Plans Due
August 22 - PLC Plan Week 5 (WEEK D)
August 24 - Safety/Crisis Team Committee Meeting @ 3:30
August 26 - Data Dialogue during Prep (Bring Current Student Assessment Data)
Movie Night 3-5th
August 30 - PLC Plan Week 6 (WEEK E)
August 31 - TTESS Self-Assessment, Goals and SLO Due!
Covid Testing
FOR FACULTY AND STAFF ONLY: Please use the 2 links below to report your positive diagnosis after notifying Dr. Lee.
Please complete the form below on your 5th day of isolation in order to receive clearance to return to work from Human Resources
Enjoy your summer!
Please reach out if you need anything during your break.